


Weightless

by scarlettholly



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula has short hair au, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 05:44:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18750205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarlettholly/pseuds/scarlettholly
Summary: Azula cuts her hair.A quick 700-ish word drabble about short hair and moving on.





	Weightless

Azula looked at herself in the mirror, her black hair now short, just below the chin. She had carefully cut it all off and felt weightless now. Azula stared into her own sharp yellow eyes, they shone like gold as a smile appeared on her face.

The past was finally gone, she didn't need to worry about perfection or having one hair out of place anymore.

Azula turned away from the mirror and looked at the floor. Strands of long black hair lay scattered all around. She quickly swept them up then stepped out of the bathroom, into the light of the palace. She was sure her new haircut would cause a stir but Azula would give it no mind.

She went about her day in the palace like normal, many of the servants stared, a few even whispered when they thought she was out of earshot. Azula wondered why they would be so stupid as to disrespect the princess. She thought about teaching them a lesson, or at the very least calling out and telling them off. In the end Azula didn't, instead she just smiled and held her head up high. Azula had prepared herself for this judgment, what strangers thought was nothing to her. None of these people understood what weight her hair held.

The weight of being criticised over and over for even just a single hair on her head being out of place. With this haircut Azula would leave that behind, letting it all go and moving on with her life. She knew some people wouldn't like her change but Azula could handle that much.

As she walked she heard a voice from behind her, it was Zuko. "Azula?" He called out confused.

Azula's shoulders tensed slightly and her hands clenched into fists. She could handle the servant's judgment but maybe she wasn't prepared for her brother's opinion. She decided to try and introduce her change to him boldly. Azula turned to him with a confident smile. "Zuko, I cut my hair, what do you think?"

The few second wait before he replied was torture, Azula feared what he would say. She kept her composure perfect and acted as confident as she could.

"It looks good on you." He said softly with a warm smile.

Hearing this, Azula felt her worry slip away, having her brother on her side meant everything to her. She had hurt him so badly in the past yet he was still there for her. She didn't know if she could ever make it up to him but she was going to try.

Touched by his kind words Azula found herself unable to think of a reply. An second passed by in silence until Azula finally spoke. “Thank you.”

"Have Mai and Ty Lee seen it yet?" Zuko asked with a smile.

Azula shook her head then she realised she hadn't prepared herself for their judgement either. Cutting her hair had apparently made her somewhat short sighted, Azula thought with a scowl.

Zuko, noticing his sister’s hesitation, stepped closer. "They are going to love it, let me come with you, I want to see how they react."

With her brother's reassurance, Azula felt a lot more confident, she smiled confidently as she replied. "Let's go find them."

The two of them started to walk through the palace together. They searched for a while until they came across Mai and Ty Lee in the gardens. Mai was sat down on the grass, leaning against a wall, reading peacefully while Ty Lee swung happily on a tree branch.

When Azula approached, Mai looked up from her book in surprise while Ty Lee gasped and let go of the branch, landing gracefully. "Azula! Your hair!" Ty Lee shouted as she raced up to Azula. "It looks great! When did you get it cut?"

"About ten minutes ago." Azula said with a laugh of embarrassment, a slight blush on her face. She looked away from Ty Lee, casting her gaze to Mai.

Mai gently put down her book and stared for a second until her expression shifted into a earnest smile. “You look nice."

Azula felt her heart beat faster, slightly overwhelmed by all the support. Azula took in a deep breath and fought to keep her composure.

Zuko gently nudged her arm. "Told you they would like it." He whispered, giving her a smile.

Azula smiled back at him, glad she made the decision to cut her hair and her ties to the past.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first fic!  
> I adore Azula so I wanted to write something about her moving on, I hope you enjoyed it ^^


End file.
